TROY -- Not long after the polls closed Tuesday, it was a close race between incumbent Tim Gordon and his Republican opponent Steve McLaughlin but the latter, with about 2,000 more votes, won the privilege to represent the 108th state Assembly district.

At the time this went to press, McLaughlin had 22,547 votes to Gordon's 19,459 with 86 percent of precincts reporting. There are about 2,200 absentee ballots in the district, a McLaughlin spokesman said.

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Not far from McLaughlin's home in Melrose, a victory party was held at the Lansingburgh Veterans Club where some said that McLaughlin has never lost hope with winning the Assembly seat, even when he lost to Gordon in 2008.

"He has always had the eye on the prize," said Neil Kelleher, the Rensselaer County Republican chairman. "He never really stopped running for office. He was determined and it has paid off."

Kelleher said that the county's GOP especially focused their energies on the Roy McDonald state Senate race against Joanne Yepsen, the Congressional race with incumbent Scott Murphy against Republican Chris Gibson, Troy city judge incumbent Matt Turner's race running against Charles Thomas, and the state Assembly race between McLaughlin and Gordon.

"I'm a happy man," said Kelleher. "We got four out of four."

Turner arrived at the Veteran's Club not long before McLaughlin made his victory announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I did not win. We won," said McLaughlin who said he plans to focus his energies on jobs, spending, taxes and eliminating corruption in the government.

McLaughlin felt there needed to be fresh faces representing the state, especially to pave a way for his family including his two sons who were at the Tuesday night affair in Troy.

"This is the Empire State, but they've turned it into the Vampire State," said McLaughlin, a business banking officer with Citizens Bank. "We can't expect new results from the same representatives."

McLaughlin said he started his career as a pilot making $149 a week and had to supplement this with mowing lawns to pay his student loans. After 9/11, he got into banking and now has an affinity with small and large businesses in the region.

"Everyday I see the struggles of small businesses and road blocks the state puts in front of them," said McLaughlin who joined the race after a friend lost their job since the company was moving out of state to Tennessee.

"Businesses are leaving this state. It's insane what is going on."

The position represents parts of Rensselaer, Albany, Columbia, and Greene counties.

County Executive Kathy Jimino added, "It's an exciting night. Steve has worked hard for this. We all have."

Several officials at the victory party expressed their hope that the newly elected and re-elected officials would be able to decrease state and federal mandates at the county level.